Round Table: Nintendo Digital Event Reactions

What did the staff think of yesterday’s broadcast?

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 06/11/2014 09:00 4 Comments     ShareThis

Yesterday was certainly an exciting day for Nintendo fans. Despite the insurmountable hype that surrounded Nintendo’s Digital Event– the company’s unorthodox answer to a traditional E3 press conference– Nintendo was able to exceed expectations, delivering an onslaught of news and game reveals that no doubt left even the most jaded gamer smiling. Now that the staff has had some time to process all of yesterday’s announcements, what did they think of the Digital Event?


Andy Hoover

I think most everyone here can agree that the new Zelda was really the big story and, amazingly enough, I think it managed to really surprise people despite how little was actually shown. I could gush over all the little details that caught me off guard (laser arrows! Link is swordless!) but I’d rather just state the obvious: this game is beautiful. From the sweeping vista of what I can only assume is Hyrule Field, to the astounding style that eclipses the already impressive aesthetics of Skyward Sword and Wind Waker. I imagine the actual game is at least a year and a half away, but those visuals and the promise of a more open design has me plenty pumped.

Keeping on the Zelda front, let me just say that the I was also please to see Midna join the roster of Hyrule Warriors.

The plethora of Smash Bros. revelations was also fantastic, with the Mii character reveal quite possibly being the best thing I have seen on the Internet all year. It was also great to learn how the Amiibo figures will play into the final game, and it sounds like they will be another great way to personalize the overall experience. Speaking of Amiibo, I can’t wait to see how they will be integrated into other games, especially Mario Kart 8.

As for the biggest and best surprise of the show, I feel a lot of people will opt for Splatoon, which looks awesome, but I’m going to go for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. I’ve spoken of my love for Canvas Curse on more occasions than I could possibly remember, so it is finally great to have a follow up to what I consider to be one of the greatest, most underappreciated platformers I have ever played.

I could keep going but I don’t want to hog all the excitement, so I’ll just throw out two more things. First, Xenoblade Chronicles X is looking better than ever, especially now that we know more about the story, and I want to thank Nintendo for including the original Bayonetta with its sequel because I think it will really expose a lot more people to the game.


Anthony Vigna

STAR FOX! STAR FOX! OH MY GOD!!!!

Do you know that it’s been eight years since we’ve had a new Star Fox?! The series completely skipped Wii, and I was having doubts that it would ever return. Thankfully, I was wrong. Star Fox on Wii U exists, and the legendary Miyamoto is handling the development! This was by far the most low key announcement of the day because it’s still early in development, yet it got me ridiculously excited anyway. Sorry Andrew, but a Star Fox revival is bigger news than a new Zelda for me!

Also, how awesome is Splatoon? I used to love shooters, but I’ve been burned out on them due to a lack of profound innovation. However, Splatoon completely changes everything about a multiplayer shooter by making the focus on shooting ink to claim territory instead of killing enemies. Not only that, but you can also transform into a squid to quickly move around the battlefield, giving the game a really unique gameplay style. People have been clamoring for a new IP and Nintendo delivered!

There were also a few low key announcements that didn’t happen during the official presentation that are worth mentioning. I can’t express how excited I am for Fantasy Life‘s localization! I’ve been asking for this game for a long time, so it’s great to see it finally come overseas. Can we please have Yo-Kai Watch next, Level-5? Also, I’m so happy that we’re finally getting Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in the United States. No objections to that!

There’s been a ton of stuff that we’ve already heard about that looks fantastic as well. I absolutely love the fact that we’ll be able to play as Minda and Zelda in Hyrule Warriors, Xenoblade Chronicles X blew my mind with its gorgeous graphics, and Super Smash Bros. continues to show a lot of promise. I’m also really interested to see how the Amiibo figurines will function when they are implemented in future games. Overall, it’s a great day to be a Nintendo fan!


Marc Deschamps

I would venture to call this one of Nintendo’s best E3 showings in ages. They came out guns blazing and really put on a show that was fun while showcasing a lot of great looking software.

Obviously the highlight was Zelda. Let’s start off with that. Stunning. From an incredibly early standpoint, it looks like it will continue what A Link Between Worlds started by giving the player more options in regards to what dungeons to take on and in which order, while also applying a vast, open-world Hyrule. The Link design is great, too. Instantly recognizable, and yet quite a bit different. Also, Hyrule Warriors continues to look great. Love the addition of Midna.

There were some very neat surprises, too. Obviously Anthony is buzzing about Star Fox, and I’m pretty excited, too. I would have liked some footage, but an announcement is definitely exciting in and of itself. I got one of my pre-E3 wishes with Yoshi’s Woolly World (formerly Yarn Yoshi) getting some face time, and that really made me smile. The graphics and gameplay look great already. Seems like a very natural fit for Yoshi’s world.

Mario Maker was an excellent surprise. If there’s some variety and online level sharing, this could be massive. I loved the throwback to Mario Paint with the flyswatter, as well.

I never would have expected to hear Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker announced, but count me 100 percent in. The Captain Toad levels in Super Mario 3D World were a blast, and this game looks like it’s going to take it a big step farther. Loved the look of the boss fight they showed off, too. Definitely looks like a very pretty game.

It’s crazy to think that’s not all! Amiigo, Mii Fighters in Super Smash Bros., terrific pricing on the GameCube controller adapter, claymation Kirby, Splatoon, two Bayonetta games on one disc… this was an unbelievable amount of news, and all of it was great. Wii U really needed this type of exposure after some hard times. This won’t turn everything around, but it’s a heckuva start. Nicely done, Nintendo.


Kyle England

First of all, what a day. This was a nonstop onslaught of Nintendo goodness the likes of which we have never seen before. Nintendo Digital Event, followed by HOURS of gameplay footage from Treehouse Live, followed by the Smash Invitational, followed by the Smash developer round table! AND IT’S NOT EVEN OVER. There are still things left to announce!

Nintendo delivered in a huge way this E3, full stop. Seriously, we got so many game announcements and updates during the Digital Event and beyond. While we knew it was an easy bet we would see a tease of Zelda, I was not expecting games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Splatoon. And then we got teases for the next Star Fox game on Wii U as well as the other experiments Miyamoto has been working on. It was all wrapped up nicely with a presentation that was tongue-in-cheek, self-aware, and filled with fan service.

Seriously, they got the guys from Robot Chicken to create their intro! Although, I hope Reggie doesn’t actually want to set fire to everyone demanding a Mother 3 import… And then we got to see Reggie and Iwata battle, which you can’t say has ever happened at an event with entertainment executives before. Nintendo seriously has proven they are actually in tune with their fans, in some respects at least.

Super Smash Bros. is obviously going to be a hit, and the Mii Fighters are interesting additions to say the least. I’m glad Sakurai put some real thought into their design rather than just stick a Mii head on the Villager. It’s going to be surreal seeing them fighting against Nintendo all-stars. Palutena is fine too; she’s a fun character and it’s always good to have more females on the roster. But what really got me excited was Pac-Man!! Why the heck didn’t they announce him during the main event?

The amount of content being offered this week by Nintendo is staggering, and I think it just might make up for the few shortcomings. First of all, it’s a shame that Super Smash Bros. for 3DS got delayed. I was looking forward to getting it by the end of the summer. Also, another thing that I noticed was that most of the games shown at E3 were slated for 2015. Nintendo is really putting their all into making Smash the game that gets people to buy a Wii U now, and offering up things like Zelda for later. I don’t want to wait so long! But at least our cravings are satiated. However, I can’t imagine what Nintendo will show in Nintendo Directs for the rest of 2014.

Also, the projects that Miyamoto discussed seemed a little half-baked honestly. While the concepts for Project Giant Robot and Project Guard seemed nifty, they didn’t feel like they warranted the attention at the moment. Same goes for Star Fox. I know Nintendo wanted to let us know there was going to be a new Star Fox, but announce it with some gameplay footage or a trailer at least! Don’t just tip your hat and assure us it’s coming. And I’ll say the same thing I say every year… I still want Metroid. But with all of this stuff shown, I can’t complain too much.

The game of the show for me so far is probably Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. I’m already hyped for Smash, but this got me even more excited! I can’t express to the world how much I love Kirby. And I love Kirby Canvas Curse the most. And it’s getting a spiritual successor that’s claymation style. I am in heaven here.


Sam Stewart

Just like in my predictions post I need to start by saying ZELDA. The new Legend of Zelda for Wii U looks absolutely stunning. My heart was beating so fast during that announcement, almost like it was trying to break free to see the screen for itself. I have so many questions already (apparently that might not be Link?!), but I know for a fact that the full game will blow me away when it arrives in 2015.

Other than that there were a large number of surprisingly awesome announcements and reveals. The one I am most excited for is definitely Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. I had a feeling those isometric puzzles from Super Mario 3D World would get their own game and I couldn’t be happier that they actually did. It looks like a ton of fun, and they seem to have a ton of original ideas to show us. Then there’s Splatoon, a super interesting third-person shooter from Nintendo. I think the concept of paint-based territory battles is super smart, and I really hope this game gets the large player base it deserves. I know I will be playing!

The most exciting updates for me were Bayonetta 2, which is coming in October (with a remake of Bayonetta packaged in!), and Yoshi’s Woolly World which looks absolutely gorgeous and will surely be a ton of fun. I can’t wait to see what unique yarn features they cook up this time!

Finally, Super Smash Bros!!! Honestly, there are just too many new things to mention so let me just say it all looks absolutely AMAZING. I hope the Wii U version manages to launch this year. I’ve got my GameCube controller ready!


Jon Stevens

I think for me, the best thing about Nintendo’s presentation was the fact that it was full of gameplay footage. They may have kept it short and sweet, but while many of the E3 presentations were full of CGI trailers and concept work, almost every game here had some form of gameplay shown.

The real highlights for me were the new Legend of Zelda game and Splatoon though. Zelda was by far my most anticipated game and it looks like they are really expanding this next one — I’m even a little curious as to whether the game will include destructible environments!

Beyond that though, I was really surprised by the announcement of Splatoon. It’s a multiplayer shooter that fits perfectly with the less-violent nature of Nintendo, and has some truly great sounding mechanics to it. It’s also a brand new IP from Nintendo, which people are always after!

Overall, I really enjoyed the Digital Event, but I’m still really excited to see what else Nintendo has in store for the rest of E3!


What did you think of yesterday’s broadcast? Which of its announcements are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!

4 Responses to “Round Table: Nintendo Digital Event Reactions”

  • 402 points
    geoffrey says...

    I want Splatoon and Yoshi’s Wooly World now. This second. Give me them.

    Not that I was excited for what’s coming (even if most of it is a long way off), but I bought a Wii U yesterday afternoon.

  • 819 points
    Toadlord says...

    Ten times better than last year! The presentation was well put together, and HEAVY on the Wii U previews. I’ll keep my review Nintendojo-style:

    The Final Grade:
    A- (Outstanding)

    One-up mushroom for…
    -Beautiful new IP/Wii U games in general
    -Smash Reveals/release date info
    -No Wii Sports

    Poison mushroom for…
    -Lack of eShop info (though this could be clarified by the end of E3)
    -No Third Parties mentioned (Sonic Boom/Devil’s Third)

  • 745 points
    OG75 says...

    Now all Nintendo needs to do is create a time machine so I can go to 2015!

    What a great Day One for the big N.

    Let’s hope for a Nintendo Direct in the coming days that focuses on Retro’s current project.

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